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A Guide To Vienna’s Best Art Galleries

Few places in the world can rival the affluence of Vienna when it comes to artistic culture and heritage. For more than a century, Vienna has produced and drawn towards itself great artists who have been stimulated by the atmosphere of the city – liberal and creative – and have produced magnificent art works, be it in the field of paintings, architecture, sculpture or other disciplines.

A visitor to Vienna is bound to be dazzled by the beauty and magnificence that the city has acquired due to these qualities. You will see the most spectacular buildings exploring new vistas of architecture around the city.

Many of these buildings have become art centers, museums and galleries. They host shows and collections of art works ranging from those produced for the Habsburg royal family to ones taken from faraway countries. If you are a visitor to Vienna and want to visit the best places for checking out the artistic treasure that the city has, you will be spoilt for choice.

In fact, you would have a very hard time deciding which place to visit due to the sheer high number of museums and galleries. Even a week may seem too little a time to explore all the artistic treasure troves in the city. To help you out, here we provide you a list of the best art galleries that Vienna has to offer. For those who don’t have much time, it is important to pick these locations for visiting before you complete your trip.

MUMOK

The appearance of the building itself is a delight. It looks like a giant monolith in the color of concrete. The unique architecture of this building is only the start of your experience. When you go inside, you will come across works from the 20^th and 21^st century including those made by Picasso and Warhol.

This is where you can admire the greatness of abstract art and see the works of masters in this field. Today, it contains more than 9000 works of art from genres such as classical modernism and Viennese Actionism. You will also see works reflecting the socio-political history of the country.

Kunst Haus – Hundertwasser Museum

Kunst Haus, or, Art House is dedicated to the memory and works of Friedensreich Hunderstwasser. You will find paintings, designs, graphics and other types of art works of this multi-talented artist here.

The design and the architecture of the whole building is itself inspired by the architectural philosophy of Hunderstwasser and carries the imprint of his style and aesthetic sensibilities. The façade of the building itself is unique and alluring. It is not just another building but one that oozes art even from its exterior.

The works displayed here and the exhibitions organised are not restricted to the creations of the man after whom the museum is named but also other artists.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary

This gallery is devoted to modern art exclusively. So, you will see works by upcoming talented artists as well as those by the established names. The platform it provides to young artists results in this place witnessing latest innovations in the field of art. This may not be the most popular place but if you want to witness the new frontiers of art and the latest experiments in it, then this is the place to head to.

WestLicht

This is one of the largest galleries in Vienna but one dedicated to the art of photography. You will find many great exhibitions here that celebrate this art and display works from as early as 19^th century. It’s location in a former glass factory lends greater uniqueness to it.

Galerie Martin Janda

Martin Janda established this gallery in 1992 and it is dedicated to the latest types of art works. It holds many exhibitions every year where leading artists of the world show their creations.

The Imperial Furniture Collection

This unique gallery displays the royal furniture used by the Habsburg royal family in the past. This is the largest collection of its kind and houses more than 165,000 items from a period extending over three centuries. You will come across various furnishing styles from Biedermeier to Viennese Modern.

This place will let you see the affluence in which the Habsburg Monarchy lived with items ranging from their thrones to commodes.

The Vienna Art Society Meetings And Exhibitions

Of all the art institutions that are to be found in Vienna, Vienna Art Society holds a special place. It was founded in 1969 by nine female painters and incorporated the same year. The first president of the society was Valerie Elmore.

The society quickly grew into an important art society and starting holding exhibitions and art shows. Today, it is known for fostering co-operation between artists of different streams who share their experiences and views in the meetings of the group.

The society has had many prominent artists from Austria and around the world as its members and artists of similar repute have also taught at this society. The names include Skip Lawrence, Mel Stabin, Eric Weingardt, Judy Betts, etc.

Events Of Vienna Art Society In 2018

In 2018, the society is in its 49^th year and this one was as exciting as any other. It’s important to remember that this society doesn’t just host exhibitions but also organises events like wine tasting, workshops, classes, etc.

As regards the exhibitions and meetings held this year, the calendar has been pretty full. An exhibition of fine art photography by Julie Cochran was organised in late September. This was just the beginning.

In October, the General Membership Meeting took place which had Deborah Kennedy as the guest speaker. A multi-talented artist working in the field of poetry, VAS art and photography, Kennedy spoke about holding the viewers attention longer through your art.

In another important development, the new leadership of the society was elected with Hayden Luczka as president, Jodi Condes as vice-president and Susan Tilton as secretary.

The other prominent exhibitions in 2018 included those of Libby Eckert’s paintings, art works by Richard Neff and Anna Watson, a collection of works by Ginger Sanaie called ‘Treetops’ and paintings by Deborah Schneider also. More such events are planned for the coming days.

Smaller Contemporary Art Galleries In Vienna Worth A Visit

An art lover could spend days in Vienna going to the different museums and art galleries without visiting the same place twice. This city is dotted with the most magnificent buildings displaying architecture of the finest and most creative quality. Many of these buildings also house collections of items which range from specimens of high art to exotic remnants of ancient history.

However, such is the artistic fervor of Vienna that even if you ignore the major art institutions of the city, there are plenty of art galleries that would make a connoisseur of art go tipsy. Many of these art galleries are small, even tiny compared to the grand museums which are aplenty in Vienna. But their value is far more than their physical size. Let’s look at some of the best lesser known and less celebrated art galleries in Vienna.

Urban Space Gallery

The idea behind this gallery was to bridge the gap that existed between the artistic establishment of Vienna and the vibrant under culture of art in the city. This place is a dedicated platform for young artists who are exploring new themes of not just contemporary art but also urban art.

Bäckerstrasse4

This is another great place for young artists to showcase their talents and their innovative works. This place holds four exhibitions every year showcasing works of upcoming Austrian artists along with those from students of arts institutions in other parts of the world.

The decision as to whose work would be displayed is taken by a jury. The exhibits are not limited to just paintings but also includes installation art, sculpture and even video art.

Gerald Hartinger Fine Arts Gallery

At this contemporary art gallery in the First District of Vienna, the American pop art movement is given a platform. You’ll see works from legendary artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Rabbit Eye Movement

Lovers of urban art shouldn’t miss out on an opportunity to visit Rabbit Eye Movement gallery. They will find all types of urban are here – street art, pop art, urban illustration, etc. This gallery contains works by artists of Austria as well as around the world.

Nychos, the most famous street artist of Vienna, displays his work here. This gallery has become the meeting point for the most active artists practicing urban art in the city. It is fast becoming an important institution in itself.

Improper Walls

This is the hub for indie art in Vienna. This is where the leading exponents of urban art from Austria and other parts of the world have their works shown to a diverse crowd consisting of both art lovers and newbies.

Arcc.art Open Space

This place is exploring the boundaries of art experience by acting as both an art gallery and an online art platform. They have kept things simple in this place but have joined forces with Artivive, an app providing augmented reality experience for art lovers. Through this app, people can take a tour of the place in virtual reality. This promotes the work of those young artists who display their works here.

Curated By: The Gallery Festival Featuring International Curators

Vienna is a city throbbing with art and artists. It has been a melting pot of influences for art and architecture for decades and has given the world eminent names like Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Otto Wagner, etc. Today, Vienna continues to be one of the major centers of modern and contemporary art attracting artists of various types from around the world.

What makes the city unique is the very dense ecosphere of creative arts that it has fostered over the years. This results from a large number of museums and art galleries, plus many great universities where the faculty of creative arts is robust and encouraging for upcoming talents. The various institutions that have been set up to serve this field further bolster a fecund environment for talented painters, sculptors, architects and artists of other shades.

The city is very keen to not only preserve this art heritage but also celebrate and keep the fever of creativity going in the city. This is why the city’s calendar every year is filled with events that celebrate art. One of the prominent annual fixtures is the gallery festival called Curated By.

This is a very unique kind of event where the center of attention are not the artists but renowned curators who curate different galleries and exhibitions in the city.

History Of Curated By

This unique event started in 2009 and has till now seen over 160 international curators put on great shows which have explored various facets of art. Over the years, these exhibitions have taken a good hard look at questions related to identity, artistic language and expectations from future.

Many of the city’s premier art institutions are a part of the team that organises these events and the most prominent galleries are decked up with the exhibitions that edify the minds of connoisseurs and stimulate the brains of artists.

Curated By In 2018

The theme chosen for Curated By in 2018 was “Viennaline” which essentially means the celebration of the city and its culture. However, different people comprehend this rather mysterious word in different ways.

One of the most prominent themes explored this year has been the feeling of alienation experienced by some people in this metropolis. This has resulted in a focus on the foreigners who came to the city and had unique experiences here. This includes people like Crone, Sophie Tappeiner and Nathalie Halgand.

There is also a great deal of attention paid to those people who were not foreigners but ended up feeling like one due to their loneliness and alienation. This unique group consists of people like Croy Nielsen, Gabriele Senn Galerie and Martin Janda.

Curator Lorenzo Giusti was responsible for arranging an exhibition at Galerie Huber Winter where two prominent artists – Simone Fattal and Francesco Gennari – were celebrated. The focus was on the impact the personal memories of these two artists had on their art.

For instance, Simone Fattal’s work clearly shows the oriental influence on her work which derived from her great-grandfather being in West Asia as an administrator of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and her grandfather being consul of Austria in Syria.

On the other hand, Gennari’s great work – Mausoleum for a Worm – was the result of his two visits to the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna which houses the graves of the Austrian Habsburgs. This piece is basically a cuboid made from layers of wood.

At Galerie Martin Janda, Max Andrews and Mariana Canepa Luna’s curated an exhibition which drew its inspiration from Karl Krauss and the difference that he saw between two types of vulgarity which get combined in Viennese style. One being German instrumentalism and the other Romance ornamentalism. So, you have here, photographs of Sean Lynch are juxtaposed with the black-and-white photographs of the Shelter Series by Batia Suter.

For those who have interest in literature, there was a great show curated by Saim Demircan that was held at Croy Nielsen and was based upon two chapters of a novel by WG Sebald called Vertigo. One of those chapters is inspired by Franz Kafka’s journey to the shore of Lake Garda. Focus was also placed on several other great authors and the links between their works and the city of Vienna.